Eldarion's Little Adventure
by SivanShemesh
Summary: It was all Legolas's fault; who knew an elf could be so careless? But then, it just kept getting .. CO-Written with Aranel Chapter 5 of 5. Story now Completed.
1. Chapter 1

**Eldarion's Little Adventure**

CO-Written with Aranel Laerien, I recommend her stories.

Summary: It was all Legolas's fault; who knew an elf could be so careless? But then, it just kept getting better...

Warning: AU, OC's, angst, humor, violence, family/friendship.

Disclaimer: The Tolkien estate owns the characters. Unfortunately, we can't. Well, we get to own the plot bunny.

Authors Note: Written for Teitho theme - Mountains.

* * *

1.

"Aragorn, are you really sure he's your son?"

Legolas did not look like he was joking and Aragorn sobered up at once. Eldarion was certainly his son, there could be no doubt about that. But there was his best friend before him, his hair somewhat tussled, his brows furrowed, his eyes narrowed as though in anxiety…

Aragorn leaned forward in the couch, resting his elbows on his knees. Legolas had come by his room, and he had knocked, which was very unusual indeed. Whenever that happened, he knew that it meant some delicate matter. But he was certainly not expecting such a question.

"Legolas, my friend," he gestured for the elf to sit, "what exactly happened?"

Legolas collapsed into the chair, seemingly unable to talk. Now, Aragorn was beginning to worry.

"Legolas?"

Legolas bit his lip. Another bad sign. Aragorn could do nothing but wait.

"Look, Aragorn," the elf began, "we went out towards the mountains like you suggested…" Legolas was pausing far too often. "And I thought we should stop for a rest before starting the climb, and Eldarion said that the ground was too dirty to sit on."

"Ah." Aragorn was not too sure where this was going.

Legolas carried on as hesitantly, "That was understandable, but as we carried on, he asked why we haven't found the main road yet."

Aragorn shrugged, "He's a child, he has his imagination." You could not blame the boy, could you? Surely it was possible to build roads in the mountains.

"And then, there was this slope, and Eldarion refused categorically to descend."

"His reason being?" Aragorn prompted.

"That it was a slope, that it was steep and that there were loose pebbles?" Legolas replied, his eyebrow raised skeptically.

"That sounds like a wise thing to do." Aragorn could have beamed with pride.

"No, you don't see it," Legolas cut in. "The slope was as long as…" he looked around trying to find something appropriate, "…the door, and it was not at all steep, it was just about this…" he slanted his arm slightly to the ground. "Look, Aragorn, something's wrong here, hence my question!"

By this time, Aragorn was laughing so hard that he had choked. "Legolas, Legolas," he chortled, "What does this have to do with Eldarion not being my son?"

"Don't you see it?" Legolas was pressing his point. "He's not like you at all. He's so…" Legolas gave up trying to explain himself.

"You must understand, Legolas," Aragorn tried to explain, "Eldarion grew up in a city. He has never seen anything exactly wild. Of course, he would be apprehensive."

"Aragorn, even so he shouldn't be like this!" Legolas seemed lost in disbelief. "He's supposed to be your son, he's supposed to want to go into the outdoors, to see the world, to try new things and be brave… He's got to be king one day and if he lacks the courage even to descend a slope, he will not be at all fit for anything!"

Aragorn drew a breath, about to defend his son. There was a soft bump against the wall. Aragorn flung open the door at once and looked out. A small figure was running to the end of the corridor.

"Eldarion!" Aragorn called.

The boy did not stop.

Aragorn turned. Legolas was right beside him. They sighed together.

* * *

Eldarion continued running, not caring where he was going as long as there was a path for him to follow. This was ridiculous. He was already seven years old. He was grown up now. There was no way whatever Uncle Legolas said would affect him. That elf was in his own world; that was another world, another reality. This was where he belonged, in the city. That elf could say all he wanted. It didn't matter.

But it did.

Eldarion looked around him. He was in one of the city gardens. This was a proper place to be, where every flower and every leaf was in the right place, and knew what it was supposed to do. He sat down on a bench, drew his feet up, wrapping his arms around his legs. He dropped his head down, hiding his face in his knees. And then he cried.

* * *

Arwen looked up sharply from her book, sensing something amiss. Her maternal instincts could hear her son's cries, but it might take a while to search for him – after all, her baby boy had his share of hiding places.

She hurried down the hallway, certain that her husband and Legolas were talking in the study. She flung open the door. "Have you seen Eldarion?" she asked.

"He was heading outside," Legolas replied before Aragorn could.

Arwen nodded in thanks. That narrowed options somewhat. She turned out the door, searching for the boy.

"Eldarion, where are you, my son?" What could have ailed her precious child so?

She was nearing the gardens and she could sense that the boy was close by. She heard soft sobs and followed. The sobs continued, growing louder, and she knew that she had found him.

"Shh… my son, do not cry, nana is here…" Arwen sat beside him on the wooden bench and wrapped the child in her embrace. She pat his back soothingly, trying to comfort him.

"What angered you, my son?" Arwen asked gently as the sobs subsided.

Eldarion shook his head.

"My child..." Arwen caressed his face, a frown of worry on her own.

"Legolas…" Eldarion choked, crying afresh. "He spoke… to adar…"

"What did they speak of?" Arwen held the boy close, waiting for him to calm himself.

"He asked adar if I am truly his son…" Eldarion managed to finish his sentence before dissolving into tears.

"What audacity!" Arwen exclaimed in disbelief. "You are my son, you are your ada's son, nothing's going to change that. Do you hear me?"

The boy nodded timidly.

"Come, my son, rest in our room while I do some talking, all right?"

Eldarion nodded again. Arwen held his hand as they returned, brushing away his tears as they entered the hallways. It was a little early for the boy's bedtime but he seemed to need the rest. He crawled onto the bed and she wrapped the covers around him, patting him to sleep.

Arwen watched her son closed his eyes, his breathing relaxed and she left the room quietly.

There was something that needed taking care of.

She knew that her husband and Legolas enjoyed their evening conversations. Surely they were still in the same room. She burst in this time, not caring to conceal her anger.

"Legolas, I believe that it is time for us to talk, alone." Arwen's steely expression left no room for discussion.

"Arwen, what is this all about?" Aragorn asked.

"You should be with your son, Aragorn, he is resting in our room," Arwen notified her husband. Aragorn must have understood as he left quickly, closing the door after him.

"Legolas, melloneg, agoreg thrugar annin, nin gweriannech!" Arwen glared at him. "I would have expected better from you, but in one moment you broke my trust and that of Eldarion!"

"What did I do wrong?" Legolas asked, seemingly taken aback at being called her friend, then immediately accused of doing her wrong and betraying her.

Arwen looked at him incredulously. "How could you ask my husband if Eldarion is indeed our son? How dare you?" she raged on.

Legolas seemed too stupefied for words, his expression still maintaining his innocence.

"And don't you give me that look!" Arwen was not finished yet. "Eldarion told me what he heard, and I trust my boy. No one should ever say that sort of thing to a child!"

"Look," Legolas cut in to defend himself. "I was only teasing your husband. I was reminding him of what needed to be done. I did not know that your son was listening." Arwen's expression told him that it was useless to say anything. He added quickly, "I shall ask for his forgiveness. I did not mean to hurt him."

Arwen let out a deep sigh, finally calming down. "I believe you, my friend, but you will have to wait till the morning for that."

Legolas nodded and left the room, hoping to seek some advice from nature in the dwindling light of the setting sun.

Legolas did not return in the morning.

End of Chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The Tolkien estate owns the characters. Unfortunately, we can't. Well, we get to own the plot bunny.

Beta: Aranel

* * *

2.

"Could you have been too harsh with him?" Aragorn asked Arwen over breakfast.

Arwen shook her head. "He's not a child," she replied simply. "And it never occurred to him to be less harsh when he spoke about Eldarion."

Aragorn nodded. That much was true. Besides, the sun had barely risen for an hour. The elf might simply have been enjoying himself in the woods. He turned, watching Eldarion eat his bread quietly. "Don't take too long, Eldarion," he said. "We've got work to do today."

The boy looked up, a hint of eagerness in his eyes. "What are we doing, adar?"

"You'll know in a bit," Aragorn replied mysteriously. Arwen was giving him a suspicious look but he shrugged. "Oh, it's nothing, really," he said. From the corner of his eye, he saw a smile curve on Eldarion's lips. The boy was eating faster.

"We shall return by noon," he said. "I shall have to spend some time on the harvest reports." He scowled at that thought. The city store seemed to be more bare than in past years, which meant a potentially difficult winter. That whole mountain of reports should not have been part of a king's job but it was, apparently. Arwen was in all likelihood far better with such administrative work than he was.

Arwen gave him a smile that was not entirely encouraging. But whatever happened, surely he could make time for a morning with his son.

"Dried leaves make more noise and they can get slippery when it rains."

Eldarion nodded.

"But given a choice between loose pebbles and dried leaves, well, it depends."

The boy nodded again. He could hear the birds sing as though they had not a single care in the world.

Eldarion looked up at his father.

"Yes?"

"Must I really go down there?"

His father shrugged. "You could always decide not to, but you'd never find the surprise waiting for you, then."

Eldarion looked down the cliff. They had climbed over the city walls and walked a distance down but this was, he was sure, a vertical descent. He squinted in the morning sun but there was nothing he could see in the field below. He was sure that there was a road that would lead there, but he also knew that would take quite a detour. He looked up at his father who was busy looking over at the walls. He gave a little sigh.

His father smiled. "Eldarion, you'll feel like you're falling. The trick is to run down it and let yourself fall. If you keep running, you'd be all right. Trust me, you'll be there in less than 10 steps."

Eldarion drew a deep breath. He could do this. It was just like walking, was it not? It might just be faster. That was all. He glanced over at his father again. This was it. He placed a foot down, lowering his weight slowly. So far so good. He had started on the right foot, had he not?

He tried to shift his other foot forward and this time, he could feel himself leaning precariously forward. He kept his weight backwards while taking the next step. The pebbles shifted under him and he wriggled his foot onto something more stable. Two steps done and his heart was already beating faster than it had ever done in his life. This was not looking any easier than before and as far as he was concerned, it was a long way down.

He shifted his right foot forward and this time he lost his balance. He knew that he was falling and he was stumbling, and he tried to grab at something but there was noth— Oh, he was upright again. He turned to look around him. His father was laughing and jogged down the slope to join him.

"There, it wasn't that hard, was it?" his father patted him on his back.

Eldarion smiled just a bit. Actually, he had to admit that it could be rather fun.

"Come, ion nîn, your present awaits," his father led the way and he ran over driven by his curiosity and just a little bit of adrenaline.

Eldarion was worn out by the time they had returned and after sending the boy for a bath, Aragorn entered his study, ready even if not willing to tackle those reports.

"You're at least two hours late," Arwen looked up from the desk.

Aragorn shrugged, walking over. "Our boy spent at least an hour looking at a slope," he said. "For a good while, I thought he would never try." Legolas had not exactly been exaggerating, after all.

Arwen did not sound impressed. "And?"

"And I showed him how to use a bow and an arrow but what have you been doing all morning anyway?" Aragorn conveniently glossed over the details, trying to change the topic quickly.

Arwen raised an eyebrow. She must have known him too well to know how he would slur his words whenever he was trying to avoid divulging something. But this time, she did not press the subject and it was, in fact, worrying him.

"Aragorn, you should have looked at the reports. Something is not right," she said.

He noticed only then that the desk was organized with neat stacks of parchment. Had she been that bored all day to start going through all those documents?

Arwen continued, "I thought something was amiss so I had a look at last year's harvest. The total number of crops..." She showed him the figures that she had noted down. "Here..."

Aragorn pulled the parchment over. That must have been a quarter less than the previous year. He certainly was not aware of any bad weather in the last few months. If anything he recalled that the harvests were going well. Perhaps Legolas might be able to contribute something.

"Have you seen Legolas?" he asked.

Arwen shook her head. "It is not usual for him to go off like that, not especially when he had planned to speak with Eldarion in the morning."

Aragorn frowned.

"How's our boy?" Arwen asked.

Aragorn smiled. "He's...learning," he said.

"I'm certain he takes well to archery." Arwen gave him a playful smile.

Aragorn shrugged. "He's quite a natural," he said finally.

"Of course," Arwen was clearly teasing him now. "Anyone would be a natural compared with you."

"Well, I was a natural with slopes," Aragorn tried to defend himself.

"And look where that got you!" Arwen laughed.

Aragorn found Eldarion watching the archers practice.

"Ada, do you think I could be that good someday?" Eldarion asked.

Aragorn ruffled his son's hair. "Well, it's a matter of practice," he said.

Eldarion looked thoughtful. "Uncle Legolas once said that some humans can't seem to get it right."

"Ah." Aragorn was feeling somewhat uncomfortable. "Well, I say you practice and show him what you can do."

Eldarion beamed at the prospect. "When is he coming back?"

Aragorn shrugged. "An elf comes and goes when he wishes," he said simply. There was no reason to get the boy worried yet.

Eldarion propped his head up on an elbow. "I wonder where he went."

End of Chapter 2.


	3. Chapter 3

CO-Written with Aranel Laerien

Disclaimer: The Tolkien estate owns the characters. Unfortunately, we can't. Well, we get to own the plot bunny.

* * *

3.

If the elf wanted to clear his mind, it was most likely that he would be in the woods that led to the mountains. Aragorn knew that he could reach it in about an hour on foot, and security never posed a problem – and it would not be a concern since his trip was entirely unplanned. Still, he prepared a trusty steed, ignoring the curious expressions of his guards. He wanted to get there quickly, comb through the woods and be back by dinnertime. If Legolas was there, surely he would see some sign of him.

"Ada, could I come?"

Aragorn turned. Eldarion had been tailing him.

"Are you looking for Uncle Legolas?" the boy asked.

Aragorn nodded. "Yes, my son, I'll just check if he has been in the woods," he answered.

"Could I come?"

Aragorn paused for a moment. He normally would not agree but something was telling him to make an exception.

"Come along then," he said, carrying the boy onto the horse. What was the worst that could happen?

Father and son had dismounted and were walking through the path between the trees. Aragorn could see the joy of life that his son had within him. Was that not proof that his son was normal? He smiled as Eldarion looked almost longingly at a tree. He could still remember one of his own attempts at climbing trees, back when he was in Imladris. There, well, he had climbed a tree and fallen off it. Perhaps more than once.

"Let me help you, my son," Aragorn suggested. He lifted the boy so he could pull himself up onto the next branch. "Go as high as you want and tell me what you see."

Eldarion could still feel his heart racing fast from the excitement and the sense of achievement that pulsed through him as he moved up higher, branch by branch. From this vantage point, he could see a good way beyond, and he could also see the mountains that Uncle Legolas had tried to make him climb… From here, that was a small path, and his adar was also looking quite small. He shivered a bit.

"I see…" Eldarion suddenly frowned. "There are birds flying away from there…" Eldarion pointed with his hand, "I think that there is something there but I can't see it."

"Are you comfortable on that branch?" his father asked.

Eldarion shook his head. "No, ada, can you help me go back down?" He was trying not to beg or to show that he was getting quite scared.

"Of course, my son. Try to come down on your own, but remember, if you feel that you are slipping or falling, I will be here to catch you, I will not let you fall."

Eldarion nodded. His fingers were getting cold and he was trying to get his feet to stay steady. He stretched his leg towards a branch below him and lowered himself down, but he was not too sure where to go next. He looked around him desperately.

"See the branch to your left nearest to your foot? Go there," his father advised.

Eldarion followed and found a few more footholds. He was feeling more confident now. Suddenly, he felt something break under his foot. In shock, he let go. The wind was rushing past him and the ground–

He never reached it.

"Thank you, ada." His voice was still shaky.

"I told you that I would catch you." His father smiled and embraced him.

After a moment, his father spoke again, "Let's see what spooked the birds."

Eldarion nodded. He noticed that his father was also keeping an eye on him, as though he had to be sure that he was following. Was there any danger nearby? It seemed rather peaceful and there were two butterflies flitting around in the bushes. Eldarion watched them for a moment.

"Eldarion, stay close to me until we know what this is about, all right?" his father asked.

Eldarion hurried to his father's side. Now he noticed that his father had withdrawn a dagger and was holding it behind his back.

Arwen did not like the fact that both her husband and her son had disappeared. Of course she knew that they had gone into the woods but she would not mind it in the slightest if they had taken some time to tell her in person – instead of leaving hints for her to deduce everything.

She returned to the book she had been reading. It was primarily concerned with documenting Gondorian folklore and mythology and she was rather intrigued at how much had changed in the intervening years. For one, legends had grown more fanciful than the book had made them out to be.

Legends always tended to get people into trouble. A story might have been nothing more than hearsay but the moment people thought it was credible or vaguely true, they tended to do things that were simply illogical.

At least Eldarion was a sensible boy. She was not sure she could say the same for her husband or their elven friend.

She was getting nowhere with her book and the wind was rather too chilly for a walk. She sighed and headed down the hallway. Now she was starting to consider if she had been too harsh with Legolas. He should never have made such unfounded accusations, even if he had not meant them in all seriousness, but perhaps her own response was equally uncalled for.

It was well into the evening and there had been no news from the elf. This was not unusual in any way but something was nagging at her. Even Aragorn who was surely used to his ways had been concerned enough to begin a search.

She looked around her. She was back in the study. She sighed again. Aragorn was in all likelihood leaving the reports to her.

She really had to stop sighing this much.

She retrieved her notes and looked at those figures again. How could a quarter of crops disappear? Trade reports. She had to check those. She hurried out of the study, her dress sweeping around her feet. Someone had been talking about doctored figures but surely they were no more than rumors. If only she could recall which figures were those supposed to have been doctored. Could that have been the harvest reports?

Here it was, all over again: stories and hearsay.

Arwen gave yet another sigh.

Aragorn approached slowly, his son following closely behind. There was no mistaking who it was even if his face was turned away. Aragorn, with his human sense of hearing, could still make out some familiar Sindarin curses from a too familiar voice. The only problem was that the voice was weak and that the elf was lying on the ground, clutching his head.

Did he even know that he was injured?

There was a trickle of blood from the side of his head but Aragorn could not see the wound itself. He checked the surroundings. There was no sign of danger and he hurried and knelt over his friend.

"There you are," Legolas said. He seemed to still be of a very good humor.

"What's happened, Uncle Legolas?" Eldarion asked, joining them.

Legolas could not seem to shake his head. He frowned. "I do not remember…"

"How is it that you do not remember?" Aragorn asked with a halfhearted smile of sympathy. The elf's condition, though serious, was strangely putting him in a mirthful mood.

"I was walking in the woods, and I think... Something hit me, or I hit something... And then I woke up," Legolas replied. That was not much useful but that was all he could remember. He was also feeling rather tired.

"You have a concussion, and it seems that you're losing consciousness," Aragorn gave a preliminary analysis and turned to ask his son, "Can you watch him until I come back?"

"I can, ada," Eldarion answered, feeling honored at having been entrusted such a task.

"Whatever happens, do not let that elf sleep again. Talking will help and if you think he's falling asleep, shake him until he looks at you. And make sure he blinks," Aragorn advised.

Perhaps the both of them would have a good talk since both of them were constrained to be with each other.

"Were you here all night, Uncle Legolas?"

"Yes."

"What did you see?"

"The woods. It was just like any other day."

"Night."

"Yes, like any other night."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Do you like the woods, Uncle Legolas?"

"Yes, of course."

Silence.

"Why?"

"Because it's…proper."

"The city is proper."

"No, look, here, everything has its place."

"The gardens are better."

"You think so only because they have been…controlled."

"But it's better when you're in control."

"Sometimes."

Silence.

"Eldarion, you know I didn't mean it."

"Mean what?"

"What I said about you to your ada."

"Okay."

Silence.

"Look, I'm sorry."

"Okay."

Silence.

"I think you're a capable boy."

Silence.

"You see, you could do great things. You just have to go out and see the world."

Silence.

"I don't want to."

Silence.

"I don't want to be a king or anyone important."

Silence.

"Neither did I, neither did your ada."

Silence.

"But sometimes we just have to follow the road before us."

Silence.

"Are you sleepy, Uncle Legolas?"

"Yes."

"Can you stay awake?"

"Yes, I'll try."

Silence.

"It's very quiet here."

"I know."

Silence.

A whisper. A dagger. "Eldarion? Take this. Hide in the bushes. Run once you can."

Footsteps.

Louder.

Another dagger saw the light of day. "Quick!"

Shuffle in the undergrowth.

Voices.

Louder.

"You... he's not..."

"I'm telling you, he's not dead yet. There, just like I said!"

"He's not moving."

"You'd rather he be killing us?"

"Let's just pack him into the sack and get back."

"I say we hurry. We aren't paid that much. Bloody merchants."

Eldarion waited in the bushes. Uncle Legolas was still not moving and the people were coming nearer. There were only two of them but would Uncle Legolas be able to fend them off? He was badly injured. Or had he already lost consciousness? Eldarion looked at the dagger that the elf had given him. He was supposed to stay hidden and run to safety but… Why wasn't Uncle Legolas doing anything?

His heart was pounding loudly. Any moment now and they would tie Uncle Legolas up. He clutched the dagger. How was he supposed to use it? Was he supposed to stab them? What if he killed someone? What if they killed Uncle Legolas? What if they…

Ada said that a weapon was good for self-defense but if he did not know how to use it, his weapon could be his greatest danger. Eldarion looked at the dagger. But Uncle Legolas had given it to him. He was supposed to use it, wasn't he? The men were coming very close. Eldarion shifted his weight and raised his dagger.

A flurry of gold.

"Who sent you? Who hired you?"

"I–We…it was…"

"Speak up, you fool!"

"A merchant!"

"Name?"

"He didn't tell us nothing, I swear!"

"Well, now that both of you are tied up, I'll leave you some time to think about it."

"We were only supposed to make sure that nobody got near the hut–"

"So he said we had to bring you back."

"Back where?"

"The-the inn."

"Which?"

"The one with the bull's head near the western gate."

"Ah, I see. Let's see if you remember anything more in a while."

Footsteps.

A heavy breath.

A weak voice. "Eldarion?"

"Yes?"

"You did good."

Silence.

"I'm glad you stayed hidden. It is very important."

"Oh."

"I'm very tired. I'll take a nap."

"Okay."

Silence.

"Wait, Uncle Legolas! You're not supposed to–"

End of Chapter 3.


	4. Chapter 4

CO-Written with Aranel Laerien

Disclaimer: The Tolkien estate owns the characters. Unfortunately, we can't. Well, we get to own the plot bunny.

* * *

4.

The king had returned, Arwen could hear her husband's voice barking out orders. That did not sound too promising. She followed the voice and was surprised to see only Aragorn. There was no sign of the boy.

She hurried close to him. "Has something happened to our son?" she asked at once.

Aragorn shook his head, embracing her before he replied, "On the contrary, Legolas got himself injured, and I entrusted Eldarion with the task of staying with him. I thought they could have some time together."

Arwen gave a hint of a smile and nodded. "Are you certain that Eldarion will be all right?" she asked, looked concerned.

"Of course. Our son is almost a man," the king replied.

They turned, looking as the guards secured a cart to the horse. Aragorn walked over, checking the supplies that they had prepared. Satisfied, he mounted the horse.

"I will bring them home soon," he promised his queen.

"You'd better, my king." Arwen grinned.

Aragorn nodded and rode off, the guards following him into the woods this time.

Arwen watched them leave. Aragorn was right. Their boy was growing up well, whatever Legolas had thought. She had never thought he would have agreed to stay in the forest but he had. Their boy was almost a man already. He was no longer a child. She wiped a tear that had fallen from those blue eyes.

* * *

Eldarion had not moved from his spot. Through the bushes, he glanced at the two men, each of them tied to a tree. They were trying to get at the knots without much success. They certainly did not look too happy. And meanwhile, Eldarion was learning some new ways to curse.

Uncle Legolas was still sleeping. He was also still breathing. Eldarion would have sighed. He was too young for this sort of thing. It had been a while since he had checked if there were insects coming near him but somehow that did not bother him so much now. He probably had not even checked if the ground was clean before sitting down.

"I'd told you this would happen!"

"You wanted the money."

"My wife wanted it! The baby was crying all day."

"So? Give him some food."

"Let me know when you find something actually affordable."

"The merchants are hiding them to sell."

"How'd you know?"

"Saw them last night."

"Where?"

"That bloody hut. They were moving it when that bloody elf was there."

"But there's nothing inside!"

"There's a trapdoor."

Eldarion was not too sure what everything was about, but he was starting to get a bit tired himself. He shifted a little. The two men were ignoring him, which was just as well.

There was nothing but greenery around here. He wondered if he could manage to climb a tree without his ada helping him. But mostly, he wondered where exactly he was. They had headed towards the mountains he had seen from the tree. The mountains did not look that far back then and surely they were closer now. Some part of him dreaded them but he promised himself that one day, he would return and enter the dirty hidden cave that Uncle Legolas had dared him to go.

It was getting colder and he wrapped his arms around himself tighter. The wind was growing stronger and it had seemed darker than it was before.

"Uncle Legolas," he whispered.

The elf seemed to have frowned slightly.

Eldarion looked up at the sky. The view was hampered by the trees but he was sure that it was going to rain. He crawled over to the elf.

"Uncle Legolas, wake up," he said, shaking him. "Wake up, it's going to rain."

The elf stirred and Eldarion tried harder. He leaned right to his ear.

"Uncle Legolas!" he hissed.

The elf blinked rapidly a few times.

"Ah, Eldarion," he said, his voice still tired.

"Wake up, Uncle Legolas!" Eldarion persisted. "It's going to rain."

"It's just a little rain," the elf replied. "Don't worry about it."

Eldarion glanced at the sky again. The wind was beginning to howl at him and he was convinced that it would be more than a little rain. The woods were far too dark and he knew that the downpour would last a good hour at least. They had to find shelter right away, even if a torrent would not bother the elf.

They could run to that cave. Eldarion knew he would remember where it was as soon as he reached the mountains, and he knew that if he kept going on in the same direction, he would get to the mountains.

Perhaps he could run there in five or ten minutes? But Uncle Legolas was injured and he would not be able to run. And Eldarion could not leave him alone.

"Uncle Legolas, there's a storm coming," he said.

"That's all right." The elf's voice was slurred. Any moment now he would be back asleep.

"No, don't sleep!" Eldarion shook the elf. "You're not supposed to sleep!"

End of Chapter 4.


	5. Chapter 5

CO-Written with Aranel Laerien

Disclaimer: The Tolkien estate owns the characters. Unfortunately, we can't. Well, we get to own the plot bunny.

* * *

5.

The elf did not respond this time and Eldarion was running out of ideas to keep him awake. He could feel the first raindrops, heavy and cold, upon his face. It was only going to get worse, he knew it. His fingers were already feeling frozen in the wind and his ada was nowhere in sight. He tried to rub himself to stay warm but it was not helping much.

"Wake up, Uncle Legolas," he sobbed. "I'm scared."

No, he was certainly not ready for any adventures or anything big, and he was not exactly interested in any of them to begin with. He just wanted to be at home with ada and nana and Uncle Legolas. They would sit in the hall, there would be fire dancing in the fireplace and he would listen to ada and Uncle Legolas talking about that "last time" when something ridiculous happened.

Eldarion no longer cared that he was not like his ada. He could be totally different but he knew that his ada loved him, his nana loved him, and even Uncle Legolas loved him. And he would do anything for any one of them. But he was just not made to go on adventures. And now all he wanted was to go–

"Let's find you shelter."

A warm arm wrapped around his trembling body and was pulling him up.

"Uncle Legolas?" Eldarion looked up at the elf. He was still weak but he had stood up and was waiting for him.

"But you've got to go into a cave," the elf said.

"Okay," Eldarion replied at once. This made no sense to him but he was feeling much more cheery now.

"Those men will have to stay under the trees though," the elf continued. "Too bad for them."

"Will lightning strike the trees?" Eldarion remembered that it was dangerous to take shelter under trees.

Legolas shook his head. "Probably not. There are much taller trees around here."

Eldarion dusted himself and straightened his clothes.

"Hurry, Eldarion!" the elf had already gone ahead.

Eldarion raced after him towards the mountains.

* * *

He should leave his father some tracks so he could find them. The boy suddenly realized this and started looking around as he ran after the elf. The rain made it difficult to see anything but he picked up a strong branch that had a sharp edge. If only he could find something to make a mark on… A few steps down, he slashed hard against the trunk of a young tree. Just before they reached the mountains, he managed to leave another sign.

Eldarion was soaking wet by now and the rain kept falling relentlessly. He was slipping more often, he had tripped over things too many times to count and he had actually fallen twice or thrice. But he always got himself up again. His ada told him to watch over Uncle Legolas and he would not disappoint him.

They were going up a slope, and Eldarion was trying not to lose his balance on the loose pebbles. There were bushes on both sides of the path, it was steep on the left and Eldarion remembered that they would have to turn right into the trees, go on a bit then double back somewhat to find the cave entrance.

The rain had washed off the blood from Uncle Legolas' head, but the boy could swear that he saw a swollen bruise there. The cave was just ahead even if its entrance was hidden, and he was glad that they were so close to safety. He was not sure he could run for much longer.

The elf stopped just ahead and hunched over.

"Come, Uncle Legolas… we're there," Eldarion called, panting as he tried to catch up.

The elf did not reply but he stumbled urgently into the bushes just around the cave. Eldarion hurried to him and realized that he had a new problem: Uncle Legolas was lying on the ground, an arrow at his side. He had managed to get it out with one of his knives, the boy did not know how. He looked around, trying to see if there was anyone.

The elf gestured weakly towards the cave. It was hard to tell the time with the dark clouds all around, but the sun should be down soon and they needed shelter. Eldarion's heart was pounding hard and fast. He could only hope that Uncle Legolas would survive the night.

Because there were men that wished to kill him at any cost.

"I'm not going to let you die here alone, Uncle Legolas," Eldarion told him, trying to pull him upright. The elf stumbled and collapsed again, and Eldarion tried to prop him up, letting him lean on his small back. They managed a few steps and Eldarion slipped on a wet stone and fell over.

Eldarion righted himself immediately. He shivered. It was getting cold and they had to get out of the elements. The elf shook his head. This was not going to work.

The cave entrance was just ahead of them and Eldarion could take some solace at that thought. Surely he could get Uncle Legolas there. But… Eldarion heard something scuttle off in the bushes. What if there were things in the cave? It was raining and they were probably not the only ones who were looking for shelter.

Eldarion looked around him and found another thick, sturdy branch. It was quite long and heavy; it would do. He ran to the cave entrance. It was covered in vines and leaves and branches. He took a deep breath.

With all his might, he hammered at the side of the cave with the branch. If there were any snakes, perhaps they would slither off; if there were anything else, he hoped they would just disappear. He brought the branch down again. And a third time. This time, the branch snapped into two.

Eldarion stepped back for a moment, catching his breath. He needed to clear enough space for them to come through. Everything seemed to be covered in grime; that was… dirty. He remembered that from the last time but now, with the rain, it seemed only worse. Eldarion took what remained of the branch, and swept the plants to a side, creating enough space for him and Legolas. He thought for a moment, then widened the entrance further. Just in case.

He ran back to the elf.

"Uncle Legolas, we can go in now," he said.

The elf did not move.

Eldarion was not sure if he had fallen asleep. His eyes were open as always, looking into the distance and never blinking, but he was breathing.

There was nothing else that could be done. Eldarion knew that he could not carry him simply because he was not someone strong to begin with. He tugged at Legolas' arm. No response either.

It was just a short distance ahead. Drawing a deep breath, Eldarion pulled his uncle with all his might. He made sure there was nothing sharp on the ground and dragged him into the cave, pushing him against the side. It was pitch dark further in and Eldarion wondered if they would be safer there. But perhaps they could just stay here, away from the rain and wind. Besides, Eldarion could see just enough from the light coming through the entrance.

He thought for a moment, then ran out, dragging the branches and leaves back to conceal the entrance. There was lesser light now in the cave.

But what could he do anyway? He was not a healer like his father and he did not really know the full extent of Uncle Legolas' injuries. Surely his father was coming soon. He paced around, trying to warm himself.

"Sleep Eldarion…" Uncle Legolas' voice.

Eldarion turned quickly. The elf was still very weak but at least he was awake, and he had propped himself up somewhat against the cave wall.

"I can rest while taking the first watch," the elf said.

Eldarion nodded. He was entirely exhausted now in every way possible. He did not exactly want to sleep here in the cave but he was past caring. He curled up against the elf.

"Wake me up when you want to sleep," he said.

The elf gave him a smile.

Eldarion closed his eyes, struggling to relax entirely. It was hard to sleep when he was engulfed in worry and concern. He did not want to lose his uncle. After all he was also his friend; he taught him the things that mattered and Eldarion knew that he had learned so much. And that he wanted to learn more.

"Sleep," the elf repeated.

Uncle Legolas was injured but he had certainly lived through worse. And his ada would be coming soon. Eldarion sighed in relief and made himself comfortable. He was safe, for now.

**The End… for this theme…**


End file.
